LOS ANGELES - In Los Angeles, Eun Sook Lee will march on behalf of Korean illegal immigrants, at least 50,000, living in southern California. On Boston Common, Punam Rogers will join other Indian émigrés, as well as business clients and students from China, Germany, and Britain. In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Ivalier Duvra will take to the streets to draw attention to Haitian newcomers who he says need refugee status.

Coming on the heels of demonstrations in several larger cities, a National Day of Action on Immigrant Rights Monday is expected to involve people in some 90 US municipalities, well above organizers' goal of 10. Described as the biggest social movement of Hispanics since the United Farm Workers of Cesar Chavez, the plans for protests, vigils, and marches include a less-visible tier of people stirred to action over American immigration policy: non-Latinos.

"If you watch TV and read the papers, you would think this [immigration reform] is primarily an issue only for Latinos or only illegals or only poor immigrants. [Monday] will show differently," predicts Abdul Malik Mujahid, a Chicago-based Islamic cleric who says 7,000 Muslims will march there Monday to protest the "climate of fear" since 9/11. "Latino organizers have done a big favor not just to themselves but to all other immigrants, as well as America itself, by standing up and saying this country's immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. Now the rest of us must join in."

The national day of action seems to have expanded exponentially with the organizing power of the Internet. Besides demonstrations, speeches, processions, and assorted performances (from drumming to skits), groups are planning work-walkouts, product boycotts, fasting, and other measures.

Smaller cities where events are planned include Bakersfield, Calif.; Fort Myers, Fla.; Hays, Kan.; and Oxford, Ohio, and include groups as diverse as Ukrainians, Palestinians, Irish, labor, and antiwar coalitions.

"No one could have anticipated this kind of involvement even as little as six months ago," says organizer Rich Stolz of Fair Immigration Reform Movement, one of the organizing coalitions for National Action Day. "Once it got announced, it spread nationally, regionally, locally through groups which have been building relationships for years. They know this is the moment to do something unprecedented."

Organizers originally designed a broad platform they hoped would attract a wide array of immigrants - Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asians, Europeans, Africans, and Pakistanis. The specific objection is legislation, approved by the US House in December, that makes it a felony (rather than a civil offense) to be in the US illegally. But organizers are also asking for something: worker protections, civil rights measures, family reunification, and immigration reform that defines "a path to citizenship for current undocumented and future immigrants to the US."

"This is America's civil rights battle for the 21st century," says Chung-Wha Hong of the New York Immigration Coalition, an umbrella organization for about 150 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees. Immigrants are anticipating a duel between the House and the Senate over immigration-reform language, she says, but Monday's actions are really about "whether or not America will continue to be what it has always been - a nation of immigrants.

Anger has been building among immigrants for decades, Ms. Hong says, but it has intensified over the past decade, as immigrants felt targeted by welfare reform, what they see as a civil-rights rollback, and, most recently, anti- terror laws. Post-9/11 crackdowns, legislation denying social services to illegals in California, and Minutemen border operations have roused immigrants, legal and not. "Immigrants have been feeling like targets for all that is wrong and want to stand up and show how they contribute to the diversity and richness of America," she says.

L.A.'s Ms. Lee says her major concern is law-enforcement sweeps through Korea-town, which have created a climate of fear in the immigrant community. Boston's Ms. Rogers says her priority is visa procedures for foreigners who come to America to study, which she says need to encourage the world's best and brightest to stay in America. Mr. Duvra says US refugee policy needs an overhaul.

While organizers say a big turnout and a broad diversity at Monday's events will send a signal to politicians in Washington wrangling over immigration reform, others see possible down sides.

"Each time immigrants have these giant rallies, the more they infuriate the rest of the American population with the idea that those who break the law get to march and somehow be rewarded," says Ira Mehlman, L.A. spokesman for Federation for American Immigration Reform. "We have seen in France what happens when you try to bring in millions of people ... in many cases who are hostile. We saw there that it didn't work, and it won't work here."

Others note that it is not likely so many participating groups will be able to agree later, when it's time to iron out the details in whatever legislation emerges. The Iraq antiwar movement and the antiglobalization movement are cases in point, they say.

"There are a lot of fringe groups tagging along on this to get exposure and legitimacy and to network," says Britt Minshall, a 16-year career law enforcer and now a pastor at United Church of Christ. "Once the main goal is accomplished, they begin to fight and hurt the cause they apparently came together for."

Activists themselves have some concerns. "I worry a bit over whether these events will be able to remain be peaceful," says Rogers. And demonstrators who carry the flags of their home countries may leave a bad taste in the mouths of Americans, she says. Such was the case in recent demonstrations in Washington.

It doesn't matter at this point. Every left-wing, radical, communist, socialist, queer, anti-gun, race-baiting group that has more than 2 members is going to use this opportunity for coming up against true Conservative Americans. Oh, let's not forget our own government.

This sh*t isn't looking real good for us at this time.

7
posted on 04/09/2006 6:04:42 PM PDT
by Looking4Truth
(Radical muslims and illegal immigrants: Too stupid to create so they invade or destroy.)

""No one could have anticipated this kind of involvement even as little as six months ago," says organizer Rich Stolz of Fair Immigration Reform Movement, one of the organizing coalitions for National Action Day.""

Sure I could have. Lots of money from the cheaper labor industries flowing into these ethnic front groups. Many of them were probably created in the NGO divisions of public relations firms. Now there's a story...

Plus many of them are protesting the "felony" provision. Brilliant move by the Dems/Industry to slip that into the House bill.

"Each time immigrants have these giant rallies, the more they infuriate the rest of the American population with the idea that those who break the law get to march and somehow be rewarded," says Ira Mehlman, L.A. spokesman for Federation for American Immigration Reform. "We have seen in France what happens when you try to bring in millions of people ... in many cases who are hostile. We saw there that it didn't work, and it won't work here."

The French labor--and I use the term 'labor' cautiously considering their staggering rate of unemployment--under the illusion that poverty causes terrorism and civil disobedience like we saw a few months ago.

Mehlman's reference to the French hints at more than first appears. In both the U.S. and France we have the problem of assimilation--or nearly total lack thereof. It was made clear in the rioting and vandalism of "disaffected youths" in Paris; in the flag burning and Aztlan cries of the recent L.A. rallies.

And I'll bet there will be no INS agents to be found at that rally, either, just like the ones in Cali, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado. No illegal alien arrests, no deportations...just more and more looking the other way from the feds.

Why in the frell are we even still paying the INS when they consistantly refuse to perform the duties of their job? If I had the success rate of these guys when I performed my job, it wouldn't be mine beyond Monday.

It doesn't matter at this point. Every left-wing, radical, communist, socialist, queer, anti-gun, race-baiting group that has more than 2 members is going to use this opportunity for coming up against true Conservative Americans. Oh, let's not forget our own government.

Man, that's a lot of adjectives! You're right: these demonstrations are seen as rallying points for every kook organization out there. My followup question was this: If legal immigrants are coming out to support illegals, do they understand that amnesty moves illegals to the fore in the naturalization process while the legals still have to deal with the obligatory red tape, fees, and other such bureaucratic hoopla?

It's a rhetorical question at best, since much of the hysteria to be seen tomorrow will come from bona fide Communist agitators, the Aztlan Reconquista bunch, quixotic-- though throughly misguided--Hispanics, and others who simply have nothing better to do. Big MSM day tomorrow, for sure.

All right, immigration proposals under discussion. Let me add mine to the mix. I want to call this proposal the Limbaugh Laws. Here they are.

First, if you immigrate to the United States of America, you must speak the native language.

You have to be a professional or an investor. We are not going to take unskilled workers. You will not be allowed.

There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools, no special ballots for elections, no government business will be conducted in your native language.

Foreigners will not have the right to vote, I don't care how long they are here, nor will they ever be allowed to hold political office.

According to the Limbaugh Laws, if you're in our country, you cannot be a burden to taxpayers. You are not entitled, ever, to welfare, to food stamps, or other government goodies.

You can come if you invest here, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage. If you don't know have that amount of money, you can't come and invest. You have to stay home.

If you do come and you want to buy land, okay, but we're going to restrict your options. You will not be allowed to buy waterfront property in the United States. That will be reserved for citizens naturally born in this country.

In fact, as a foreigner, you must relinquish individual rights to property. These are the Limbaugh Laws.

Another thing. You don't have the right to protest when you come here. You're allowed no demonstrations, you cannot wave a foreign flag, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies, or you get sent home. You're a foreigner. You shut your mouth or you get out, and if you come here illegally, you go straight to jail and we're going to hunt you down 'til we find you.

I can imagine many of you think that the Limbaugh Laws are pretty harsh. I imagine today some of you probably are going, "Yeah! Yeah!" Well, let me tell you this, folks. Every one of the laws I just mentioned are actual laws of Mexico, today. I just read you Mexican immigration law. That's how the Mexican government handles immigrants to their country. Yet Mexicans and others come here illegally, they protest in our streets, they get on our welfare program, and we have members of the United States Senate, both parties, doing handstands and back flips, going through every contortion possible to allow it to continue so that it doesn't make these people mad, resulting in votes against these linguini-spined populations.

This is more than a double standard. It is an indication of just how gutless people in charge in this country are to protect the identity of this country. They don't care about border security, I know the ports deal notwithstanding, they're not doing a thing to shore up the border, because that might make somebody mad. It's a good thing there are a whole lot of Arab voters in this country or the port deal would have gone through, too.

Oh nice, a whole bunch of different factions competing for protest power. This could become a civil war of different ethnic groups vying for power, how interesting - oh wait, that's happening all over the globe: Iraq, Africa, India, etc. etc.

Isn't it WONDERFUL to see our beloved country join the cesspool of 3rd world-ism???

It's true, I guess: you can take an individual out of the 3rd world, but you can't take the 3rd world out of the individual.

Oh nice, a whole bunch of different factions competing for protest power. This could become a civil war of different ethnic groups vying for power, how interesting - oh wait, that's happening all over the globe: Iraq, Africa, India, etc. etc

The scene in Anytown, U.S.A., April 10, 2006--as history will record it:

What was an otherwise sunny, pleasant day for a rally turned violent when Socialists for Immigrants' Rights demonstrators clashed with demonstrators from Immigrants for Animal Rights over which group would have control of the area adjacent to the soy tent. Jorge Washington, a 24 year-old self described "recreationist" and member of Gay Kenyan-Mexican-Americans for Peace, witnessed what he called, "crazy stuff." He continued, "It's like the instinct to hurl a pie at people you disagree with is like so overwhelming, you know? You have to throw something." It is believed that the melee started when one SIR protestor lobbed their Silk frozen yogurt at the IAR camp. No injuries were reported, but many feelings were hurt. Spokespeople from both IAR and SIR declined interviews, though both expressed deep regret over the incident.

Over 4,500 demonstrators from 25 different groups had gathered Monday to protest the controversial House bill 4437, which would make illegal immigration a felony rather than a civil offense.

What a can of worms this has become. According to this article, we might as well forget about any kind of immigration laws and any one into this country. We won't know who or what they are. Now it's not only the Mexicans, its the Koreans, Islamics (we need more ragheads in this country). It's the beginning of anarchy!!! Get out your guns...buy a few extra...lots of ammo. It's going to get crazy.

The Indian complains to the other two that once his was a great and proud people who roamed the plains and mountains, at one with the land, and lord of all they surveyed. Alas, those days are gone, and now his people are barely a shadow of their former greatness.

The Muslim boasts that his people have always been a great and proud people, that at one time they ruled all of the known world, and that no force could keep them from attaining the glory they knew under the Prophet.

At this point, the Cowboy tips up his hat to look grimly at the Muslim and says, "Son, we ain't played Cowboys and Muslims, yet."

Here in Mpls. the Cathedral's Archbishop supported an illegal immigrant protest , I can't get over it, what is going on? I am Catholic and can't understand how the Archbishop could say support the documented and undocumented illegal immigrant.....everything about honesty is out the window, anyfeedback please. Ned Dougherty in his book, "Life in the Fast Lane" says that we will go bankrupt as a country, now I can see it.

Don't blame me. I'm not one of those moronic, buck-toothed, PC pinheads who walks around mumbling "We're a nation of immigrants" all the time. I was born here. My father was born here also as was my grandfather and my grandfather's father...

Time Poll: Americans Back Border Fence, Deportations and Denying Benefits

Americans support building a security fence along the entire 2,000 mile U.S.- Mexican border by a landslide, a new Time magazine poll has found.

By a margin of 56 to 40 percent, respondents said they want the wall built from sea to shining sea - not just the 700 miles stipulated in the House plan, a proposal the press calls "draconian."

In more evidence that the American people want a tougher crackdown on illegal immigration than anything favored by Congress or the media, 62 percent told Time that they favored using the military to guard the border. Just 35 percent opposed.

But the poll's biggest shocker may be on the question of deporting illegals back to their native country, an option that politicians and the press say is out of the question.

Time found, however, that 47 percent of those surveyed actually favor deporting "all illegal immigrants." 49 percent were opposed.

And 51 percent said the U.S. would be "better of" if all illegals were deported and the border sealed to prevent any more from coming in. Just 38 percent disagreed.

A full 75 percent say illegals should be denied government supplied healthcare and food stamps, with 21 percent saying they should get those benefits. 69 percent say illegals shouldn't be allowed to get U.S. drivers licenses.

Time surveyed 1004 adult Americans on March 29 and 30. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent

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